Ben Platt at the Eccles

I love Ben Platt's latest album Honeymind but I especially love the song "Andrew," which was released as the first single several months before the album dropped.  I listened to this song over and over and, every time I did, I would imagine how amazing it would be to hear it live!  So I was absolutely thrilled when the tour was announced and, even though the ticket was more than I wanted to spend, I bought one during the presale (my plan to be more frugal this summer is not going well).  Last night's concert at the Eccles was my first time hearing him live and it was incredible!  He performed quite a few songs from Honeymind including "Right Kind of Reckless" (which opened the show), "All American Queen," "Shoe to Drop," "Monsters," "Cherry on Top," "Before I Knew You" (which ended his main set), and "Andrew" (which definitely did not disappoint and was the highlight of the show for me).  He also performed some of his favorite songs from his previous releases Sing to Me Instead and Reverie (both of which I also love), prefaced with some highly amusing anecdotes, including "Ease My Mind," "Rain," "Share Your Address," a brilliant rendition of "Grow as We Go," and "I Wanna Love You But I Don't."  His covers of James Taylor's "Your Smiling Face" and Joni Mitchell's "River" were fantastic but he blew the roof off of the Eccles Theatre with "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret (his homage to Liza Minnelli was complete with an *ahem* appropriate costume).  For the encore he sang a beautiful medley of "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" which was unique to SLC audiences!  Platt is quite the performer and he, and his talented band, put on an amazing show that I won't soon forget.  He was so funny and he sounded even better than his recordings!  I had so much fun because all of the theatre girlies sitting around me were pretty much losing their minds screaming, crying, and singing every single word of every single song at the top of their lungs! Just kidding. It was me. I am theatre girlies!

Note:  I love the song "Andrew" so much because, to me, it is the perfect description of what unrequited love feels like when you are young (even though it is from a queer perspective, many of the feelings evoked are universal).